Rangers: Clear whole board out - Donald Findlay

Donald Findlay has called for the entire Rangers board to be removed. Picture: Robert Perry

FORMER Rangers vice-chairman Donald Findlay has backed calls for boardroom change at Ibrox, and claimed the directors who have overseen the shambolic past 12 months should be “ashamed” of their reign.

The QC, who served during former owner David Murray’s tenure, attacked the plc directors who have presided over a £14.4 million loss during the 13-month period up to June. He also hit out at Brian Stockbridge after the finance director was forced to hand back a £200,000 bonus awarded to him after the club won the Scottish Third Division title last season. And Findlay, now Cowdenbeath chairman, called on shareholders to remove the current board at Thursday’s annual general meeting.

The build-up to the meeting has been dominated by a bitter dispute between the current directors and rebel shareholders who hope to win stakeholder backing to take control of the Glasgow giant’s purse strings.

Findlay said: “The squabbling has gone on too long. It’s time to clear the whole lot out and only have people in who want to take the club forward and who do not want to take a penny out of it.

“The way the club was floated was mucked up from the beginning. The wrong people did it, the wrong people invested, the wrong people are now in charge. The people responsible for what Rangers Football Club has done to itself and the embarrassment and distress it has caused its supporters should be ashamed of themselves and should not be allowed anywhere near it.”

As well as his bonus, Stockbridge is paid an annual salary of over £200,000, while former chief executive Charles Green earned £933,000 during his 13 months at the helm.

Findlay, who stepped down as the club’s vice-chairman in 1999, said: “When Sir David Murray and I ran Rangers, not one of us took a penny out of the club. Frankly the notion that a financial director should be given a £200,000 bonus for winning the Third Division is ridiculous. Whoever made that decision should not be running Rangers Football Club.”